Change of heart
by xXdiamondwolf027Xx
Summary: Flauvic's back and he brought a few friends with him. Elestra doesn't know how to act around him...he doesn't know how to act around her. My first fanfic! Read and review PLEASE!
1. News

**Disclaimer: **I, sadly, don't own any of these characters or Sherwood Smith's stories. tear

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_Ok, so I didn't think I would be looking out the window for him. But I never thought that he would never come back. I always thought that he would one day. However, it _has_ been 2 years…_

Elestra sat peacefully on her cushions by the window. She sighed a small sigh and rested her head against the glass. As soon has her skin made contact with the window, there was a knock at the door. Elestra wondered who it would be at this time of night. Life! It was nearly midnight! She walked to the door softly and opened it a crack…

And let out the breath that she didn't know she was holding when she saw that it was only her brother, Alaraec. She let out another sigh, this time out of exasperation. Then she began to become suspicious. _Why in the world would he be bothering me at this hour! There must be some ghastly older brother prank going on right now…_ Alaraec looked at her, annoyed, and whispered urgently, "Elestra! I need to talk to you right now. Please, let me in."

Elestra looked him over appraisingly. Satisfied that he seemed like he was telling the truth, she opened the door wide enough to let him in the room. Nonetheless, she looked left and right into the shadows of the corridor before she closed the door, just to ease her mind that Alaraec wasn't pulling her leg. She only saw a couple of servants walking past. She turned around to face him. "So what is so important that it can't wait until morning to speak of? Why is it that you came to my room at midnight to talk to me?"

Alaraec, sitting in a chair at the small table between the window and bed, snorted and said, "It wasn't as if you were sleeping, El," and gestured loosely to the bed at his right; it was still perfectly made. Elestra made a face and snapped, "Just get to the point."

Her brother's face took on more of a serious look as he began to speak. "You remember our favorite Lord Flauvic Merindar, don't you?" He went on without waiting for an answer, "Well, I just found out that Father and Mother received a note from him just the other day." Elestra scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. _Why didn't they tell me?_ Aloud, she asked, "When?"

"A week ago," came the reply.

"Hmm… I don't suppose you happen to know what it says?" she inquired hesitantly. She was careful not to let this go to her head too much just in case her brother really was playing a trick on her.

Alaraec smiled and said, "I was wondering when you would say that." He pulled something out of his sleeve. It was a piece of paper with elegant script on it. Elestra looked at it skeptically. She said dryly, "And what exactly is that?" Alaraec put on a hurt expression and said innocently, "I went through all that trouble of getting this out of Father's personal study getting past the guards standing outside his and Mother's chambers (**A/N:** I put his study near their chambers) and this is the thanks I get for bringing you Flauvic's letter?"

"Father has guards outside his chambers? For how long? Why?" Elestra was flustered. Alaraec studied her for a few seconds. "Yes. Two days. Because of this piece of paper. There, does that answer your questions?"

"Oh, just give me the paper!" She grabbed the note from him and read through it once. Twice. Elestra looked up at Alaraec. "This is what you wanted me to read so badly! A note from Flauvic asking for his property back? What are you trying to pull here!" Alaraec merely smiled and pulled another sheet of paper out of his sleeve and said, "Now this one is the reason why Father has increased the number of guards outside the castle and our chambers. ALL of our chambers." Elestra absorbed this information. And as she did, realization dawned on her face.

"WHAT! There are guards outside MY ROOM!" Elestra was shocked by the idea that the guards had eluded her inspection of the corridor when Alaraec walked in… She had only seen those servants…

"Shhh… Keep your voice down otherwise they'll think you're being attacked," he hissed. As if he could read her mind he said, "Those 'servants' out there are really guards and have amazing skills in fighting and they're armed to the teeth, but the weapons are hidden well." He handed her the letter. "Read it."

This note was shorter than the other, but held more meaning in it. It read:

_Dearest Vidanric and Meliara,_

_I hope this gets to you without much trouble. I trust you and your family are well? I am writing to let you know that I will be paying a visit to all of you. I should be here within the next three days to discuss the returning of my lands. Say hello to everybody on my behalf. See you soon,_

_Flauvic_

"When did this come in?" Elestra asked, her hand trembling ever so slightly. Alaraec looked at her grimly and didn't seem to notice her hand shaking as he took the letter from her. "It was received two days ago. That's why so many guards have been posted everywhere." Elestra, realizing what this meant, said quietly, "So he should be here by tomorrow…no, today because it is already past midnight." She looked around and realized that Alaraec had been here for nearly two hours. "Alaraec, you should go get some rest. Maybe you should return those to Father's study while you're at it." Alaraec nodded and left. Elestra desperately wanted him to turn around and yell _'Fooled you!'_ so they could laugh about this, but he didn't. She had wanted Flauvic to come back… So why was she so nervous about seeing him again?


	2. Distraction

Recap: Elestra just found out from Alaraec that Flauvic is coming back. Picks up just after dawn. (Will somebody please explain to me this first gold, first green, etc? I can't seem to get this timing straight. Thanks)

Elestra sat on her bed attempting to distract herself with a book. It was one of her favorites about a girl who goes on many risky adventures with disguises and mystery and suspense. Normally Elestra could always lose herself in this book, but with the news of Flauvic arriving today, nothing could take her mind off of her confusion. She heard a voice at her window. _No, I _thought_ I heard a voice. Nobody's here. _But it came again, a little clearer. Elestra made her way over to her window and looked down and saw one of her best friends down there. It was Andrew, son of Lady Tamara and the Duke of Savona.

"ELESTRA!" he hissed up to her window while picking up a rock and weighing it to see how far it would go. He was just about to hurl it before Elestra stuck her head out the window and looked down at him.

"ANDREW! You had better not even _think_ about throwing that rock and shattering my window!" she said angrily. Andrew dropped the rock and looked up at her innocently as if to say _what rock?_

Instead, he said "Will you come down? Actually, don't. You seem moody." He began to walk away slowly. Elestra growled at him and turned around and was retreating into her room when she heard Andrew's voice again. "Elestra," he said, his voice sounding hurt, "Did you really think I would leave you to be moody all by yourself?" He sounded genuinely wounded. "What kind of a friend would I be if I wasn't there for you when you needed me?"

Elestra leaned back out of her window and retorted, "Not a very good one, that's what kind." She folded her arms across her chest and turned around. Andrew said mischievously, "I know something that would make you feel better…" Elestra snorted, very unladylike, and said "Of course you do. You _always_ do. I can remember the last time you said that to me. Let's see, what had ended up happening last time… oh yes, we got quite drunk and in quite a lot of trouble with out parents! And why? Because _you_ had the idea that it would make me feel better!"

Andrew grimaced, but held his ground and said, "But El, you were sulking because everybody had gone riding with Kitten for her Name Day and left you all by yourself! I didn't even mean for it to go as far as it did…" He stifled a laugh. "However, it was very hilarious, you must admit." Elestra busied herself by trying to find _something_ to hurl at his head. "I mean the things you wanted to do… You wanted to go have adventures in some foreign land and made us play dress up!" He then got a little shy, which was strange, even for him… "And then when we rode to that inn…Elestra, you never told me you could dance as well as that. Why don't you ever dance at any ball?"

"Well, firstly, I don't like to dance. It's like flirting with every boy that I dance with just by doing _that_ with him. Secondly, it's not as if there are ever many balls to dance with people, even if I wanted to. Thirdly, I'm never drunk at any ball so I wouldn't even dream of dancing with anybody there. Besides, I probably dance better drunk than sober, so I would end up stepping on everybody's feet." She paused for a breath and then went on, "So what do you think is the matter with me that you need to make me 'feel better'?"

"Well, _your_ father told _my_ father told me that he received a note from Flauvic. _I_ figured that you would be excited, considering you'd get the chance to see him again." Andrew grinned, but then turned it into a frown. "But then I saw you looking grumpy—"Elestra stuck out her tongue childishly "—and thought that you could use a bit of cheering up. So meet me down here and we'll go racing or we can go practice our skills with a sword."

Elestra nodded and said, "Expect me down there within ten minutes." She disappeared into her room, changed and began making her way to Andrew, determined to get her mind away from the impending arrival of Flauvic.

**A/N:** It's short, I know. I think I'll try harder to make the next one longer. I'm not completely sure how that will work out, though.


	3. HE'S BACK!

**A/N: **I'm really not sure about this chapter, but here goes. Oh, and by the way, if there's anything inaccurate in here, do tell. I don't like being ignorant of things.

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When Flauvic came, Elestra was going at it hard with Andrew in the gym. Today, she needed somebody to vent all her emotions on, and that person happened to be Andrew. Luckily for him, he handled well being the object of the swift thrusts and parries of her sword.

Elestra was panting lightly and sweating a little when a page came from her brother to warn her of Flauvic's approach. The page delivered the message that Princess Elestra was to get ready to meet him.

Andrew looked at Elestra and joked, "It's going to take you a lot to get ready after the work-out you've just been through!" Sure enough, Elestra was red and sweaty and her hair was becoming frizzy.

Andrew was still laughing when Elestra poked him with her foil. "_OW!"_ he cried. "That hurt…" He began rubbing an area on his upper arm. Elestra just smiled and said innocently, "Woops, it slipped…" She walked away, pulling on that "court mask" her brother was teaching her to hold on her face, getting ready to meet Lord Flauvic Merindar.

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Elestra waited with her father, mother and Alaraec in the throne room. She carefully studied each of their faces.

Alaraec was as blank as ever. Then he caught her gaze and grinned and winked. Elestra couldn't help but grin too. After all, this was going to be a little adventure, whatever her feelings at that moment were.

Her father just looked tired. As much as nobody liked to admit it, he was going up in years. There were little bags under his eyes. Elestra felt a little sorry for him, having to deal with the kingdom's problems and having all those responsibilities, but he never complained.

Her mother sat there playing with the tassels of her cushion. She looked determined. Elestra almost smiled as she imagined her mother giving a talking-down to Flauvic.

But only almost, because at that moment, the guest of honor himself arrived. Elestra quickly pulled on her "court mask" as he walked in…and not alone, either.

Elestra could see that Flauvic had brought a few servants (_who probably double as spies_ she thought) but that wasn't all.

Clinging to his arm, as if he would disappear if she let go of it, was a woman who was small and sickly. She was wearing a dress of the latest fashion: long sleeves that were flared, the top of the dress with beautiful embroidery around the neck, a belt upon her waist, and more embroidery following the skirt to the ground in lines. Her feet were covered in soft moccasins.

Behind them was another couple. It seemed Flauvic had made some friends. The gentleman behind Flauvic looked friendly enough. He had dark hair that fell into his aqua eyes. On his arm was a lady who looked almost the same, but her features were a little bit more delicate and her hair was not quite as dark.

Elestra's eyes strayed back to Flauvic, who looked hardly different than when they had parted ways. The only visible differences were his clothes. And he was cleaner. He caught her eye, and she nodded her head at him ever so slightly.

He returned her salute. All of a sudden, she was aware of eyes on her and Flauvic. She didn't want to be there anymore.

Elestra leaned over to Alaraec and asked him, "Do you really want to sit through any of this? I would rather get back to the gym for more practice fencing."

Alaraec looked at her considering for a couple moments and said, "Sure, El. Let's go."

Then Elestra leaned the other way towards her father and asked him if she and Alaraec could be excused. Her father nodded and Elestra and Alaraec went to get changed and meet in the gym.

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**A/N:** Should it be longer? Please review!


	4. What happened next

Elestra and Alaraec had a long bout in the gym. Alaraec insisted on looking dejected about not being present to hear what Flauvic wanted. Elestra ignored him.

They had been fencing for about two hours when they heard voices outside of the gym. Instinctively, both lowered their foils and tried to listen to who was out there.

A woman's voice was protesting loudly about something. From what Elestra and Alaraec could hear, she was being sent to her rooms to rest.

A familiar male voice tried to calm her down and explain that she needed to take a break for her health. Elestra and Alaraec bit back a laugh as they realized who was out there.

The woman sighed loudly out of exasperation and said, "Well all right, but you and I are going to have a talk about this later."

The gym doors opened and their father, the king, walked in. His eyes were laughing, but tired.

Elestra said, "Father, maybe you should take your own advice and take a break. You look very tired. But before I send you to _your_ room, tell us what happened when we left."

Her father smiled a little and asked, "Hey, who's king around here? Don't tell me you're trying to overthrow me…"

As they were talking, they made their way to the benches off to the side, where the audience sat for a duel, or performance, or something of the sort.

Once they were sitting, he sobered up and told them what had passed in the meeting with Flauvic.

"Well, firstly, he introduced us to—"

Just then, the doors to the gym swung open again. In walked Flauvic. But this time, he came with only the other male member of his party.

Elestra paled a little, but pulled on the court mask so that nobody could see exactly why. She had a bad feeling about the other man, but couldn't place her finger on it. She frowned inwardly as she tried to figure it out.

Meanwhile, they had been spotted and were being quickly approached. Elestra stole a glimpse of Alaraec and her father's faces. Both were covered by the court mask.

Elestra became nervous. She wasn't sure why. She was aware that her father and brother were standing up to greet the newcomers. She stood up, too, not wanting to let anything show. Alaraec and her father gave small bows while she nodded her head, not curtsying because doing so in her tunic and pants would look ridiculous.

Flauvic and his friend bowed as well. Taking her by surprise, Flauvic spoke directly to Elestra saying, "I don't believe that you've been properly introduced to my companions. This is Lord Galen who walked in with his twin sister Lady Brenna. The woman I walked in with is their cousin Lady Jenna."

When his name was mentioned, Lord Galen gave a nod to her and then Alaraec. His aqua eyes were friendly and encouraged conversation, but Elestra couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong about him.

Elestra's father said, "We have invited Flauvic and his friends to stay at the castle until the Merindar estate is cleaned up and ready to live in." Elestra looked at her father, who was able to read her like a book, even with the court mask. She, in turn, could read _him_ like a book and could tell that he was laughing at her incredulity.

She spoke to Flauvic and Lord Galen saying, "I hope that you and the Ladies will accompany me for a ride, then, at least once during your stay."

Flauvic looked as though he was about to say something, but Lord Galen cut in, "We'd love to. I'll tell the girls later." He smiled a handsome smile at her. Elestra smiled back, but hers was forced. She hoped it didn't show.

_What did I get myself into_? She groaned to herself. Alaraec was her hero right then. "I think Elestra and I should get back to our rooms to freshen up. We've been fencing for a long time and we're rather smelly." Elestra, knowing Alaraec, knew that his way of trying to lighten her mood was by trying to bait her into getting mad. She smiled weakly at him, hoping he could see her thanks at his brotherly stupidity.

She would get him back….

When they left the gym, Alaraec was grinning evilly. Elestra was suspicious of him. She knew he was planning on either doing or saying something irritating.

They reached the door to her room. Alaraec couldn't resist. Grinning, he said, "El, you don't suppose that the Merindar estate can be fixed up in a week, do you?"

She was confused. "Why a week?" Alaraec grinned even wider.

"Well, your Name Day party is next week, remember? As long as he's a guest, he must be invited, mustn't he?"

Elestra glared at him. Sometimes, she could _hate_ Alaraec with a passion…


	5. Calm down

**A/N:** Ok, well the whole Jenna/Brenna thing was an accident, but if you enjoy it, well THANK GOODNESS! Now, where did I leave off…?

Elestra was in a crappy mood when she got to her room. She decided to take a long bath to get her mind off things. What had she been thinking inviting those people to ride with her! Easy. She hadn't been.

She settled into the bath, warm and with lots of bubbles. Just the way she liked it. She smiled to herself, knowing this was exactly what she needed. Elestra leaned against the wall of the tub (?) and laid her head on the surface of it. She felt relaxed already.

Without realizing it, she dozed off. A maid came in a couple hours later, asking her if she was ready to come out. Elestra realized that she was supposed to be eating with her family soon. But at the moment, she wasn't too hungry. She decided against going to dinner with them. She wouldn't be missed; it wasn't the first time she was skipping dinner. Anyway, if she got hungry later, she would just make a trip down to the kitchens.

Elestra got dressed and brushed her hair out. She had gotten used to the dull color of her hair, compared to the rest of her family's. It didn't matter as much to her. When she was done with her hair, she walked down to the library. It was time for another book. She picked up a comedy this time and grinned. This one was about a woman who decided to magically disguise herself as a man, become famous, and then reveal herself as a woman to the public to prove a point. Of course, along the way, many things go ridiculously wrong.

Elestra sat herself in a large comfy chair by the hearth, which had a few Fire Sticks in it. She was about four pages into the book when she heard the library doors open. She looked past the back of her chair to see who had come in. To her surprise, it was Alaraec. He seemed to be looking for something, or some_one_.

"_Elestra!_" he hissed. "You've got to be here! I checked your room and you weren't there. You can't skip dinner today, we have company!"

Elestra got up from her spot and walked up to Alaraec holding her book with her thumb marking the page she was on. Alaraec grabbed her hand and said urgently, "Everyone is wondering where you are! We need you at dinner today."

"Why?" she asked. Then something he said sank in. "Who are we eating with?"

"You'll see," was all he would say. With that, he escorted her to the dining area, where their parents were waiting with other people.

Sitting next to each other at the table were two people she least expected to see. They were her grandparents, for whom she and her brother were named. Elestra grinned and ran to greet both of them. "It's been so long! I didn't expect our guests to be you two!" She was truly excited. Her grandmother, the Princess, took Elestra's face and kissed both cheeks. "You've grown even more beautiful than last time we saw you."

Elestra had to admit that this was true. Last time her grandmother saw her was at her Flower Day celebration, last year. She had filled out more, actually gotten curves, even if they were somewhat small. Elestra got used to her hair and actually liked it. Her face was still a little bit of a bother to her, but she thought it suited her well, not as though she could change it even if she wanted to.

Next, her grandfather came to hug her. "There's my girl! How has the sword-play been lately?" he asked, excitedly. They got into a deep conversation about new techniques she could learn or how she's been doing with the ones she was weaker with before. Elestra promised him a demonstration later to show him how much she improved since last time she lost to him.

Elestra's father smiled and said, "Maybe we should have some food before we forget why we're here." Everybody sat down and waited as the servants put their plates in front of them.

That night, everybody chatted merrily, but for some reason, Elestra couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Her grandparents' arrival was a welcome surprise, but it only seemed like it to her and Alaraec, but even he looked less surprised than she felt. Then again, her court mask was still a little transparent. It was foggy, but people could still tell how she was feeling if they chose to look hard enough.

Her parents kept sneaking glances at each other during dinner and they seemed worried. It was as if they were waiting for something to happen. Elestra had a feeling that that something wasn't going to be a good something.

When dessert was done, her parents said good night to her and Alaraec. They needed to talk to her grandparents alone, Elestra realized. About what, though? Her parents must have called them. They must have traveled hard to get here. Why?

Elestra decided to ignore it. She was probably being paranoid. She should just enjoy the time she had with them. Elestra made her way up to her room before she realized that she left her book at the dinner table.

She made her way back down to the dining room and was about to open the door when she heard voices inside. Although Elestra knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, she quietly put her ear to the door. She made out her mother's voice replying to her father. Then she heard her grandparents trying to calm her down. What was going on in there?

"…I don't believe that those three are his 'friends' for a _second_…" came her mother's voice furiously. "I'd be willing to bet that they're magicians coming to help him take over the kingdom!"

Elestra's father said nothing for a couple minutes. Then, "Mel, if they were magicians, wouldn't you be able to…" The question was left unasked. Elestra knew that her mother had been studying magic ever since before Alaraec was born. Her father was wondering if Mel could sense if somebody was a magician.

"I could…unless they muffled their magical ability very well."

A new voice came in, but one that Elestra recognized immediately. "It would be hard to do so. Only a very powerful magician would be able to mask their power so that a fellow magician would not be able to recognize him for what he was," her grandfather said tiredly.

Her grandmother spoke next: "I still don't trust Flauvic, but we may b overreacting to his sudden reappearance. What if he really is only here to reclaim his land and we are sitting here making this visit into something more? What if we're making it into the conspiracy that it really isn't?"

Everybody fell silent at that. Elestra's mother couldn't help but cry, "But why would he choose _now_ to come when he could've come any time later? Why couldn't he have stayed with his 'friends' Jenna, Galen, and Brenna if they were so close?"

When it was clear nobody could think of a good answer, Elestra's father said, "Maybe we should rest on this. Mother, Father, you've had a long and hard trip. You need your rest. So do we Mel," he added softly. Elestra could tell that by "we" he meant "you" but her mother, surprisingly, didn't argue.

Elestra panicked as she realized they were all heading toward the door she was standing outside of to leave. Quickly, she looked for a place to hide as the door opened quietly. hardly thinking, she ran down the corridor and turned the corner and tried to control her breathing. There were footsteps as they all filed out. Somebody paused. Elestra prayed they wouldn't come looking this way. Then (s)he went on quietly.

Elestra waited until she couldn't hear any more footsteps and raced back to her room without even returning for her book.

**A/N:** Wow…This one was looong. It took a while to write. I hope you enjoyed it!


	6. A Little Ride in the Forest

**I am going to need suggestions for the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this one.**

The rest of the week passed by without many significant happenings. Elestra and Andrew had lots of fun together. Andrew almost got her mind off things with Flauvic, Galen, Brenna, and Jenna **(har har har)**. Elestra passed by them every now and then when she went on rides or practiced her fencing, but other than that, didn't see them at all.

At the end of the week, Andrew and Elestra were riding through the woods when Elestra heard music coming from the trees. It sounded like pipes were playing but these pipes couldn't possibly be played by any human. "Drew," she whispered, afraid to disturb the peaceful music surrounding them. "Drew, who do you think is playing that amazing music?" She got off her horse and started walking toward the trees.

Before she could get very far, Andrew jumped off his horse and grabbed her hand. "I don't hear anything, El…" He frowned, scanning the trees. "And since when have you started calling me 'Drew'?" He finally turned his gaze to her, but she was looking wistfully at the trees. Grabbing her by the shoulders and staring into her dazed eyes, he shook her gently trying to make her return to reality. When Andrew saw this wasn't going to happen, he knew immediately what he had to do.

Ignoring Elestra's protests, he picked her up, plopped her on her horse, and guided them back to the castle, where he sought out her mother after dropping Elestra off at her room. When he found her mother in the library, he pulled her towards Elestra's room.

As Andrew led Elestra's mother toward her room, he explained to her what happened in the forest. Soon it wasn't Andrew leading, but the queen. She stopped dead when she got to Elestra's doorway. Speaking slowly to Andrew, without turning around, she said, "You said that you two were alone in the forest, right?"

"Yes…"

"And _nobody_ knew when you two came back in?"

"Yes…."

"How long ago did you two get back?"

A slight pause. Then: "Ten minutes ago."

"You came straight to me? You didn't go to anybody else for help?"

"No." A definite answer.

"Then why is there somebody in my daughter's room?"

Furiously, she swung open the door to Elestra's room and glared at the man sitting next to Elestra's bedside, where she lay sleeping. Andrew stepped into the room and asked the intruder, "How did you get in here?" He was surprised and angry.

"Why, through the door, of course," came the smooth reply. The man stood up and Andrew gaped at him. This was the man who had turned the whole population of the town to stone, had been turned into a tree for twenty years as punishment, and had kidnapped his best friend two years ago: the one and only Flauvic Merindar.

Elestra's mother asked him, "What do you think you're doing here?"

"I felt I was needed, seeing as nobody was attending to your spellbound daughter," he said suavely, "Also, I thought that if I couldn't at least help take the spell off her, then I would be falsely accused of casting a spell to harm the princess." He narrowed his golden eyes lazily and said, "I know that's what you would have thought. But I happen to have more information on this matter than you do," he concluded coldly.

Andrew could tell that his friend's mother was dying to question Flauvic further, but he walked past her, straight up to Andrew. Quietly, for Andrew's ears only, he whispered, "I think you had better leave me to take Elestra out on these little outings. She will be better protected by me… considering." Before Andrew could so much as open his mouth to respond, Flauvic had brushed past him and out the door, with a little wave good-bye.

Andrew's eyes followed Flauvic until he was long out of sight. When he finally turned around, Queen Meliara was sitting at her daughter's bedside fussing. "How is she?" Andrew murmured, going closer.

"She will be just fine. All she needs is a little bit of rest. She's had a small taste of magic on the receiving end, which wasn't an entirely pleasant experience for her."

"Will we have to postpone her Name Day party?" Andrew asked, worriedly. He had a surprise planned for her. He put a lot of effort into it.

"No, she should be fine by then." Mel stood up and looked at Andrew kindly. "You did well bringing her back to the castle like that."

Andrew smiled in thanks. "I'd best be going now. Tell me when she wakes."

Meliara nodded and walked out the door with him saying, "I must go too and tell my husband about what happened."

They went their separate ways in the hall leaving Elestra to rest and recover in temporary peace.

**Send me what you want to see soon! I have a pretty good idea where this story's going to end. It's just a matter of getting there...**


	7. More of HIM

**Guess who you're all gonna see a bit more of this chapter…**

_Elestra was walking through a forest. She walked into a clearing and saw the sun reflecting off the surface of a pond in the center. Padding over in her slippers, she sat on the edge and looked into her reflection. However, hers wasn't the only reflection in the pond. There was another looking over her shoulder: his face was a blur, but there was a golden glow about him. He reached out to gently shake her shoulders and whispered into her ear "_Wake up.'

With a start, Elestra shot up from her pillows, almost ramming her head into her mother's, who was leaning over her worriedly. Only Mel's reflexes saved her nose. After a moment of shock, she laughed and said, "And I thought you would need some magical shielding while you were asleep… It seems you could do well without it."

Elestra laughed a little too. Catching something off in her mother's voice killed her laughter, though. "What happened? Why do I need magical protection?"

Instantly, Mel was serious. Reaching her hand out to put over her daughter's and said concerned, "How much do you remember about your ride two days ago with Andrew?"

Thinking back to the ride (_It has been two whole days?_), Elestra said slowly, "We were riding in the forest… I heard some music," She sank into bliss, "It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard… Andrew wanted to take me away from it, " her voice turned hard, "I didn't want to leave. I wanted to go into the forest and see where it was coming from. I wanted to be with the music forever…"

"Not surprising. That spell was very powerful. I felt it from the castle," came a calm voice from the doorway. Flauvic walked in despite the protestant sputtering that came from Mel. Elestra watched him quietly not quite knowing what to say. He drew a chair to the opposite side of Elestra's bed so he wouldn't have to sit next to Mel, who was glowering darkly at him. Flauvic continued, "I'm surprised your mother didn't hear it, being the great mage I hear she's turned out to be," he paused, allowing his meaning to sink in, then continued, "However, I may be able to be of assistance, seeing as I already know who is behind this, but you don't want to know. I also think I will wait to tell you until I have solid evidence. Maybe then you will believe that I am not here plotting to overthrow the kingdom." He looked pointedly at Mel, who glared back at him.

He picked up Elestra's hand and kissed it lightly. She felt something in her hand when he laid it back on the bed, but she said nothing. She nodded a goodbye to him. Her mother couldn't help but blurt out, "Well, who is it if it isn't you? Who else would be powerful enough to cast that big of a spell and not alert me of it?"

Flauvic paused in the doorway. Without turning around, he said, "Somebody who you know... and trust too much." He left them to ponder his words. However, Elestra was thinking more about his tone than his words. She thought Flauvic spoke sadly, almost regretfully.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention to her mother who was saying, "I'm going to leave you now. Make sure you get plenty of rest. I don't want you falling ill and missing your ball this weekend." With a forced smile, she left Elestra to think in peace.

As soon as her mother was out of sight, Elestra looked at what Flauvic had slipped into her hand. It was a piece of paper intricately folded, perfect for subtly transferring from hand to hand. Taking care to unfold it so it wouldn't rip, she opened it to reveal elegant handwriting inside.

_Elestra,_

_I hope you take my advice and stay close to either your mother or myself. I recommend myself more than your mother. I am more experienced in magic, even though I was a tree for twenty years. Also, I know who the culprit is, whereas she does not. I know that she will disapprove, but you must stay close to me. _

_I invite you to ride with me tomorrow afternoon after lunch. Brenna, Galen, and Jenna will accompany us. They look forward to meeting you, seeing as they have not yet gotten the chance to talk to you very much at all. We will meet at the stables. _

_--Flauvic Merindar_

Elestra didn't know what to make of his note. Should she accept his protection? Should she even go riding with them? With these questions plaguing her mind, Elestra fell back on her pillows and lost herself in a dreamless sleep.

--&&--

It was still dark outside of her window when Elestra woke up. She took up her perch by the window and stared out into the stars. Faintly, she heard some motions behind her. Turning around, she encountered somebody dressed all in black with a black mask hiding his face, staring at her from the chair at her dressing table. He (for she assumed the person was a man) got up and moved to the window where she was sitting. Elestra flinched, but she was glued to her seat, and it was not from fear.

He stood across from her and was about to pull something out of his belt when she felt a wind blow through the room. Her door opened and shut once and somebody else was in the room. This man did not wear a mask. His golden eyes threatened to melt the Masked Man with his fury. Flauvic muttered a few words and the Masked Man walked out the room with a stiff gait. The door slammed shut behind him.

Once the sound of his footsteps died away, Flauvic turned back to Elestra and said, "I can not let you out of my sight for a minute, can I?" He sighed. "I'm afraid I will have to stay in your room tonight." He made an almost lazy gesture with his hand. As it moved, Elestra felt herself able to move as well.

Elestra blushed and whispered heatedly, "You'll do no such thing!" There was a hint of a smile in Flauvic's eyes, but it was gone in an instant as he said, "I'm still going to have to keep a close watch on you, whether you like it or not." His eyes scanned the room, searching for a place where anybody else could be hiding, or where he could hide during the night.

She was bewildered. Then, gathering her thoughts, she realized that he might have just saved her life. "Thank you," she said quietly, hardly believing what she was saying. Flauvic's eyebrows rose in surprise, but returned to their normal position in an instant.

"Think nothing of it. I'm going to be guarding you personally over the next few days until I am sure that you are out of danger. I can not have my visit spoiled because you are found dead by your maid in the morning." Elestra's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Flauvic noticed and said, "That is exactly why. Everybody will immediately turn to me demanding an explanation of why I killed their princess." He paced the room dramatically.

Then Flauvic stopped and stared at the corner of the room that was opposite the door. With a few small hand movements and a couple words that Elestra could not hear, a small rose grew in the corner. In the blink of an eye, it vanished. "What was that?" Elestra inquired.

Pretending not to hear her because of a yawn, Flauvic said "Good night, princess." He bent over and kissed her hand. He stopped before he walked out the door. "You read the note I gave you about the ride?" She nodded. "Good. The invitation is not optional. You _are_ coming either way. Instead of meeting us at the stable, I am going to escort you there personally. Maybe we can get a few hours of sword practice in earlier, or after. I need to brush up on it."

With that, he walked out the door, leaving Elestra surprised in the middle of the room. She walked back to her bed and lay down, wondering what had just happened. Had she just been told that she would be spending the whole day with Flauvic tomorrow? She fell asleep wondering why there were butterflies in her stomach.

**REVIEW PLEASE!!! Sorry this one took a while…**


	8. RUN AWAY, FLAUVIC!

**I decided to kick this one off with a little bit more of Flauvic before we got to Elestra. I think her Name Day party will come in a couple of chapters…I hope…**

**.:Flauvic:. **

As usual, Flauvic woke up early to get a head start on the day. He knew that everybody would still be asleep other than the servants, but he had not gotten in their way and therefore they stayed out of his way when he decided to come out of his room.

He pulled on some clothes quickly and looked outside, realizing it was almost noon. He looked at his knife, and muttered a few words, which enabled him to see what was happening in Elestra's room. Once he planted the rose in her corner, it disappeared from view, but it gave him a good viewpoint to see everything that was going on in the room. All he needed to do was look at a shiny surface and say the words to see.

Flauvic watched as she slept, making sure she was fine after the events of last night. As he walked down the stairs, he recalled his fury. Why had he been so mad? Normally, he wouldn't be this feeling about somebody else's well being. He only ever cared for himself…Perhaps it was the time he spent to get to know her when he kidnapped her two years ago. Maybe that made him soft.

He sat outside with the bread he got from the kitchen, where he absently walked to while he was thinking. Breaking off a piece and chewing it slowly, continued wondering what was happening to him as he sat in one of the many luxurious gardens._ It used to be that _nothing_ fazed me. I was able to intimidate people by not showing reaction. But after what happened when I kidnapped Elestra, I've been wondering…I do not even know how to act around her. So I resort to formal tendencies when I'm around her. What does she think of it? Why do I even care?_

And so this continued until about noon, when he was snapped out of his reverie by, whom else, but Lady Jenna. She was walking out in the sunlight, which made her seem even more pale than she already was. Flauvic frowned. This woman was a constant annoyance to him. She always hunted him down at social gatherings (which she forced him to come to) and then clutched to his arm as if he was her lifeline. As hard as he tried to shake her off, she never stopped buzzing about him like a mosquito that he wanted to smash very badly.

"Oh! Is that _you_ Flauvic?" She smiled in what she was a very pretty smile. "Flauvic, we are going riding today, are we not?"

Forcing a smile, he said, "Yes, of course we are. Have you seen Galen or Brenna?" He prayed that they were going as well. Of course, he knew Elestra was going, but with Jenna there, he would not get to say more than two words to her because of Jenna's need for attention.

"Yes I have, they will meet us at the stable within the hour." She moved to link her arm with his, but he moved away, although he made it seem as though he didn't realize she was trying to.

"If you will excuse me, I need to go get the Princess Elestra. She will be accompanying us today."

Jenna's face fell considerably after that. However, she looked up hopefully and said, "I will come with you to get her!"

"No! I mean… There's no need for that. Why don't you go choose a horse for yourself while I go get her?"

Jenna looked crestfallen. "All right…" she conceded reluctantly.

Flauvic hurried away in relief and took out his knife when she couldn't see him anymore. He paused and checked to see if Elestra was awake just in time to watch her fall off the bed. He chuckled quietly to himself as he remembered the time she fell flat on her face in the mud. As she went through her wardrobe, he realized he'd better give her privacy as she changed. Concealing his knife in his wrist-sheath, he made his way to her room to escort her to the stable.

**.:Elestra:.**

Elestra fell off her bed in the morning with a thump. Before she knew it, all her covers and pillows were in a heap on top of her. She thought she could hear a faint chuckle somewhere, but when she finally climbed out of her mountain of blankets, she looked around to realize she was alone. She said some quite unladylike words under her breath as she piled her blankets on her bed. She stretched and yawned loudly. Elestra was energized and ready for the day.

Without pausing to think, she began pulling some dresses out of her wardrobe and began to change. In the middle of pulling her on dress, she recalled the events of the night before, including the mysterious vanishing rose. Looking back in the corner where she saw it last night, she thought she saw a flickering outline of a flower. If that rose was what she thought it was, then Flauvic had been watching her the whole time, even when she was changing.

Turning red as a cherry, Elestra finished changing as quickly as possible. After she was done putting her clothes on, she sat at her dressing table and began brushing her hair. Thirty seconds later, she was ready to roam about the castle. But first, Elestra wanted to open the curtains. She opened them wide and was astonished to see that it was nearly noon. Standing there, gaping, she was hardly aware when somebody walked in behind her.

Hearing a laugh behind her, she whirled around to face her father. He was leaning on a chair that was at her drawing table in the middle of the room. "I couldn't help it," he said, still laughing, "You looked exactly like a fish!"

Elestra couldn't help but smile back at her father. His good humor was contagious. However, it didn't last for long. "El, I need to know something.

_Here we go…_ she thought to herself. Aloud she asked innocently, "Yes?"

"Some of the servants came to me this morning and said something about hearing noises last night…"

Elestra winced. She had a feeling this was going to happen. "About that…"

"Don't lie to me, El. You know you can tell me anything."

"Yes. Well, last night -- "

She was cut off by a light knock at the door. "Yes?" she called out.

"May I come in?" came a voice she really didn't want to hear right then.

"NO!" she replied, a bit louder than she intended. Naturally, the door opened and her brother waltzed in. "Alec…I really didn't want you in here…" she grumbled.

He gave her a grin and flopped onto her bed saying, "I need to talk to Father. And I figure I can wait in here for him to be done. After all, whatever you say to him, you can say to me too."

Elestra pleaded with her eyes to her father, who decided to say, "Alec's right. Besides, this might help teach him how to handle problems that come up in the castle when he's king….Or a father," he added after the thought came to him.

Alaraec was bouncing on her bed. He paused mid-bounce and his eyes widened. "On second thought," he began, but was cut off by his father the king.

"Now, Alec. This is what responsibility is. You need to be able to handle it. You're staying here." Alec nodded in defeat. Danric turned to Elestra. "What happened last night?"

She sighed. _Could you_ be_ any more blunt?_ "Last night, I was -- "

But she was cut off again by another knock at the door. Since the door was open this time, everybody turned to see who was at the door this time.

Flauvic showed no expression when he asked Elestra, "Are you ready to go?"

"Go where?" asked her brother and father at the same time.

"She and I are going riding today with Galen and Brenna…and Jenna too," he added.

"When did you decide to go?" her father asked her.

"Last night," Flauvic said smoothly while he walked over to her side.

Her father raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Last night?" he repeated.

"Yes."

"What were you doing here last night?"

"Last night, I was here rescuing your daughter from a mysterious assassin who thought she was an ideal target." Out of her father's view, Elestra pinched Flauvic hard, trying to get him to shut up. He showed no pain, however, and continued speaking. "We agreed that she was coming riding with me today and then maybe spar for a little while."

Elestra couldn't take it any more. "WE?!" she burst out. "_We_ didn't decide anything. _You_ assumed. Well, _I_ am saying NO."

Flauvic laid a hand on her arm to calm her down. It worked too. He bent he neck so his mouth was next to her ear and said quietly, "Just calm down. I know what I am doing. _Trust me_." For some weird reason, she did.

He straightened up again and said louder, "Then shall we leave?"

Slightly dazed, Elestra said, "Yes…Let's go."

Her father was at a loss for words. Just as they were about to walk out the door, he stopped them and said, "Wait! Elestra, I need to tell you something!"

They stopped and Elestra walked back to her father. Alec walked toward Flauvic.

"Yes?" she said to her father.

"Elestra, I want you to be careful, okay? Try not to get hurt. And make sure you're on your guard the whole time you're with them."

She smiled. "Of course." She hugged him and joined Flauvic at the door again. Alec was busy trying to stare down Flauvic, who was yawning at him.

"I swear…" Alec began viciously. "If you do _anything_ to her, I will…"

"You don't need to worry about your sister. She is in safe hands with me." Flauvic was beginning to sound annoyed. He linked Elestra's arm through his and led her out the door, down the corridor, down a flight of stairs and out into the breezy summer day.

**I want to change the title of this story. Please feed me ideas along with your reviews.**


	9. The Ride

**Here we go…I'm sorry it took so long! I was gonna try to add fluff to this, but it didn't seem like the right time…**

--&&--

Elestra was still a bit confused when Flauvic stopped abruptly outside and turned to face her. It seemed like he was going to give her a lecture.

"Listen to me. I know you do not trust me. I know that you do not like anything I am about to do. But for some reason I feel like I need to protect you. I don't know why. All I know is that if I don't, I will be letting myself down. So just _cooperate_ won't you?" With that, he turned back and wouldn't say anything else.

Elestra was stunned. Was this _the_ Flauvic Merindar speaking to her? The same one who kidnapped her two years earlier? Somehow, she couldn't believe that he would be this open with her. What was the matter with him? She stopped him and turned him so that he would face her.

"Hey. You have some explaining to do, sir. Why do you keep coming up and saying that you are the only one who can protect me? What do I need protection from? _Who_ do I need protection from? And WHAT is the matter with you? What happened to the Flauvic who was silent and intimidating? What happened to the Flauvic I knew when we were traveling to the border? Speaking of which, you _knew_ that we could've crossed it sooner. But you didn't cross it. Why?"

"Princess, you have overwhelmed me with many questions. As to who is trying to harm you, I will not say anything until the time is right. You want to know why I am the only one who can protect you? It is the truth."

Elestra snorted. "The _truth_? Since when has Flauvic Merindar become an honest man?"

Flauvic's eyes narrowed considerably. "Since he met a person who changed his life. He couldn't believe how much she had altered him. So, naturally, he was too shocked to do anything to prevent me from taking over."

"You still haven't answered my last questions. What happened?"

"What happened was this: I met a girl, who I traveled with for a while. She made me realize that I was being ridiculous, trying to take over the kingdom. She also made me realize how alone I was in this world…and it scared me."

Elestra was thrown for a moment. Was this really happening? Flauvic was really opening up to her…unless he was just tricking her.

Flauvic noticed the skeptical expression on her face and said, quite sincerely, "It's true. I don't know how she did it, but she did and I can't thank her enough…I just wish she would stop doubting me. That kills me more than anything else," he sighed and linked her arm through his again. "Come princess. Your guests are waiting."

Elestra was left to ponder his words. She still couldn't believe that he answered her in what seemed like complete honesty. She couldn't help but wonder, _Who is the girl he's talking about?_

--&&--

**.:And now, a little bit of first person POV from Elestra:.**

Sometimes life is just not fair. The one person you're waiting for _finally_ makes his grand re-entrance back into your life, but it's just not how you expected it. I am confused as to the return of Flauvic. Why is it that whenever he drops into my life, I must fear for my existence?

I honestly don't know what to think. He says he's protecting me, but I cannot let myself accept that. Why can't I? I haven't been attacked by him once. At least, not since he came for a visit. He has done nothing but tried to help me, but I refuse to accept that too. Am I just being paranoid? This had better not get out… I can hear the rumors in the court now: _Gutsy Elestra is going mad? _I sincerely hope not.

As I look at him now, riding next to me on a beautiful gray (one of my favorites), he seems himself. He's exchanging witty remarks with Galen, keeping an air of amusement about him, and letting none of the frustration of our earlier conversation show. His cool attitude annoys me. I'm going to wipe that smirk off his face later on the practice grounds. I'm desperate to get my hands on a foil. I need somebody to practice on soon.

I stare straight ahead of me, losing myself in the beautiful scent of the trees around me. Why is somebody trying to attack me? Who would be? Everything was just fine. I haven't knowingly offended anybody. If I didn't know about it, I could figure it out later, but it would have to be somebody of Flauvic's party. All this trouble started after he came here with his friends. But I haven't talked to any of them. In fact, I purposely went out of my way to avoid them.

I look at Galen and see the corners of his eyes crinkled in laughter. He has been nothing but charming words and jokes since I met him. His sister, Lady Brenna, has also been very polite. There was no reason to suggest that she had anything against me. Their cousin, Lady Jenna, however has been rather cold to me.

Naturally, she kept polite expressions on her face. She laughs politely at every joke, frowns politely at every mishap, and is just always polite when you see her. But she also tries to get attention. She will talk loudly about her "misfortunes" about how her dress was wrinkled here, or her hair was out of place there, or how her horse was not riding smooth enough for her. She went as far as to ask me if I would mind terribly switching horses with her, seeing as I knew her horse better and could therefore be more comfortable on her horse than she could ever be.

Even after agreeing to switch horses with her, Jenna was cold to me. I don't know why she hates me so. She continuously throws glares in my direction when nobody is watching. She purposefully splashed mud all over me, claiming it was an accident. While we were in the stable, she pushed into me, making me fall. I landed on my wrist the wrong way and it's still smarting. She claimed that she didn't see me there. But every time she does something, I see her grin evilly at me before she does it.

I'm very proud of myself. I haven't let my feelings show. I believe my "Court mask" is getting better and better daily.

"Elestra? Princess Elestra, are you listening?" Lady Brenna sounded concerned.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and answered, "I'm sorry. My mind was on other matters. What happened?"

Galen laughed. "Nothing happened, princess. I was just wondering where there might be a pond to wash in. It's very hot out here." Of course, sometime during our ride, the breeze blew itself away.

"Of course. Follow me." I turned my horse a little bit to the west and brought them into a pretty little clearing where there was a clear blue pond and lots of flat rocks to sit on in the very green grass.

Galen helped Brenna and me off our horses while Flauvic attended to Jenna, who was off on another rant about how something else was going wrong with her life. While everybody else got a drink and washed off a little in the pond, I lay back on a large, flat mass of stone. I stared up into the sky through the branches of the tree that was providing me shade. I closed my eyes and let the patterns of the leaves against the light play against my eyelids.

Then I hear the voice that will haunt all my dreams for the rest of my life disturb my peace. Loudly, the annoyingly high pitched vocals of Jenna ring out with, "I'm starved. Did anybody think to bring some food on this little expedition?"

I wrench my eyes open and sit up on my rock. Flauvic is looking at her coolly, while Brenna and Galen look at her with their mouths wide open. Galen was the first to speak.

"Life, Jenna! You tucked away more than any of us at breakfast this morning and now you're the first one to complain about being hungry? Where do you put it all?"

Brenna took Galen's arm to quiet him and smiled, then turned to look at Jenna and said, "You can't just burst out like this Jenna. It was kind of Elestra to take us this far and now you're going to repay her by complaining?"

I felt it was time to put my share of the conversation into this. "Lady Jenna. I did bring food because I thought that if we didn't return in time to the castle, somebody might get hungry." She looked at me with venom in her eyes, but kept the rest of her face steady as she answered me.

"And do tell, please, where did you put it?"

Lazily, I got up and walked over to the horse that she had taken from me. The packs that I had put there were gone. I turned back to her and said, "I take it you didn't realize that I was carrying packs of food on my horse before I switched rides with you?"

Jenna kept a straight face and said, "No I did not know." But I could see the lie written all over her face. She knew it was there. But where did she put it?

"Well then. I certainly thought you knew. Especially after I told you that they were there."

"Oh? I don't recall you saying anything of the sort."

"Hmm…maybe I should have just kept my horse then. Oh well. It seems like this is just a ride, and not the picnic I was hoping it would be. Shall we go back to the castle so we can get Lady Jenna fed?"

A unanimous vote said yes, let's go back. And so here we are, riding back to the castle of my parents. I have a large headache. Perhaps I should sit out and just watch them on the practice grounds.

--&&--

**.:Back to me, just following Elestra around… :.**

On the ride back, Galen spotted the food packs on the trail. The knots that Elestra had so carefully tied them onto her horse with were expertly undone. So now they knew that the ropes didn't just break.

Elestra brought them all to the dining hall in their wing of the castle and excused herself politely saying she was not hungry…At least, she tried to. Flauvic claimed he was not hungry either and said he would escort her to her room. Elestra forced a smile to her face and thanked him.

In the corridor, he murmured, "You promised me a duel, milady."

"No in fact I did _not_. But I will oblige you anyway. I am in the mood to use my foil on somebody today."

They smiled at each other and proceeded to the practice grounds.

--&&--

**Yeah…I'm so weird. I hoped you liked this chapter. I kinda liked it. Now please, pretty please review!! **


	10. Conflicts and Resolutions

**Chapter 10**

Elestra was in no mood to be humiliated, but that she was. She silently thanked the gods that nobody was around to watch her fail so miserably. Generally she wasn't a terrible swordsman, but as good as she was, Flauvic was better.

Every thrust she threw his way, he parried, every feint she tried, he dodged. It was as if he knew what she was about to do before she did it. Red in the face and out of breath, Elestra panted out, "How do you do that?"

Flauvic polished his practice blade, even though there was not a speck of dirt on it. He said casually, "Do what?" Elestra thought she heard him _humming_ as he wiped. She studied his careless posture as he leaned against the wall in the shade, the way his face showed no exhaustion although they had been dueling nonstop for about an hour, and, most of all, his honey-colored eyes which glinted with amusement.

She scowled, jealous of how he was still breathing at a normal rate while she was still gasping for air to fill her lungs. "You know what I mean."

He smiled. "Of course I do. You're much to perceptive for me to try and hide anything from you." Elestra knew he was mocking her, but, putting on the show of the perfect hostess, chose not to say anything about it. Sensing her refrain, he continued nonchalantly, "It's all in the movement and face. I watched your eyes and your feet. Your eyes looked to where you were about to move, and your feet pointed in the same direction, which only confirmed my suspicions."

Elestra wondered how she could have been so careless. Maybe it was just a trying day. Or, maybe it was that the full situation was finally hitting her. Flauvic was back at the same time that a faceless stranger was trying to kill her. Of course they both knew it wasn't Flauvic, but nobody else seemed to realize this. Of course, that may have been due to the kidnapping incident a couple years earlier.

Setting the foils back in their original places, Elestra and Flauvic decided to try some hand to hand combat. It had been a long time since Elestra had done that with anybody other than Alec, but this would be exciting. Maybe she would learn about more of her flaws. She rolled her eyes inwardly as she thought that.

This sparring seemed like less of a challenge to Elestra. They went on steadily for half an hour until Flauvic found a way to flip her onto her back and almost put his boot on her throat, which would have been the end. However, Elestra wasn't about to let that happen, so she kicked her right leg behind his knees and watched him fall backward.

At the last second, he turned and put his hands in front of him to break his fall, at the same time rolling over to his side to lock hands with her as they continued fighting on the ground. Somehow, they made it to their feet and fought their way through another ten minutes. Then Flauvic had pinned Elestra to the wall and their faces were dangerously close. Their eyes met as their faces moved closer toward each other…

"_There you are!_"

Elestra heard Flauvic curse softly as he pulled away and helped her from the wall and they faced Lady Jenna, who looked absolutely livid. Her voice had snapped them out of their reverie and brought them back to the present.

"Why didn't you tell me when you were going? I would have loved to have practiced with you." The whine in her voice was tinted with unveiled jealousy and anger.

Flauvic smoothly replied, "You had wanted to eat. Princess Elestra and I decided that we were restless and decided to occupy ourselves here. Besides, it gave us a chance to talk. We have, as you know, unresolved issues. Loose ends we needed to tie, and such."

"And you couldn't even return to the dining room to tell my cousins and me about it?"

Elestra answered this time, "As a hostess, it is my job to think about the well being of my guests. You were famished, and after such a meal, I couldn't expect you to want to come and spar with us. Besides, after that long trek today, I thought that you could do with a rest. My apologies that I was so inconsiderate in not informing you of our whereabouts." She bowed her head a little.

Not to be outdone by elegant words, and polite courtesy, Lady Jenna responded in an undeniably rude and bratty tone. "You should be. You will not be forgiven so easily. I should challenge you to a duel right now."

Elestra looked at her, incredulous, but recovered soon. Not soon enough, though, to beat Flauvic. "Lady Jenna, you are clearly not dressed for the occasion, nor are you in the right frame of mind to be challenging anybody to a duel. Do you remember the last time you dueled me? Elestra is nearly as skilled with a sword as I am."

"Elestra?" Jenna echoed. Too late, Flauvic realized that he had spoken informally.

Elestra covered for him, though, by saying, "Yes. I expect not to be treated like royalty by my guests. It is my duty to treat them like royalty and therefore I have asked him to use my name, not my title. I have been meaning to ask you and your cousins to give me the honor by doing the same."

Hoping that flattery would appease Lady Jenna out of her anger, Elestra spoke those words. She pulled on her court mask and hoped that it would hide her disgust at stooping this low to please a person she despised. Lady Jenna, however, saw the hope and thought Elestra truly thought that this would be a great honor. She smiled wickedly and said, "Of course…Elestra."

Elestra's hands, thankfully, were behind her back when she dug her nails into her palm to keep from turning her face into a frown. She managed a smile and said, "I should probably leave you then. I need to go speak with my mother."

Flauvic must have seen her hands because of how he was positioned a little behind her and said, "You told me you would take me to find your father, remember?" Elestra turned toward him and smiled sweetly.

"Of course. Would you like to speak to him now?" She assessed the way he looked. He still looked as unruffled as before. Elestra thought of herself in comparison, red faced, sweaty, and tired. His face broke into a smile and said, "Yes, if you wouldn't mind."

Lady Jenna intervened by saying, "I'm sure _Elestra_ wants to get changed and washed up a little bit before she goes anywhere. Why don't we go find Brenna and Galen? I'm sure they want to talk to you right now."

Flauvic frowned when he said, "About what? There's nothing important going on right now." Jenna looked upset at her lost chance of alone time with Flauvic and stared at Elestra, willing her to bend and tell Flauvic to go with her.

Elestra said, "I'm only going to go find my parents, Lady Jenna. They have seen me clean and dirty all through my life. I'm sure they won't object to me visiting them the way I am. Besides, if Flauvic says he must speak to my father, it must be important. Why else would somebody want to speak with the king?"

At the mention of the king, Lady Jenna gave in and said, "All right, then. I will see you later then." She walked out the door.

Flauvic turned to Elestra and asked, "Do you really need to talk to your mother?"

Elestra looked at him and said, "Do you really need to talk to my father?"

He smiled and said, "Yes. I need to talk to him about the simple matter of your escort to your Name Day party."

Elestra groaned and said, "I can't believe I forgot about that."

Flauvic laughed quietly and said, "I didn't. I have a special gift for you. It should be here by tomorrow afternoon, at the latest."

Elestra looked at him and said, "If you're going to talk about my party with someone, it should be with my mother, not my father."

Flauvic sighed and said, "I should have known it would be her. Nothing is ever so easy, especially not when it comes to you."

They were both silent for a few moments. Both were thinking about what could have happened if Lady Jenna didn't walk in when she did. Elestra realized how silent it was around her, and that Flauvic was moving a little closer. Maybe Lady Jenna hadn't really interrupted anything, just delayed it.

Their eyes locked and within three seconds Elestra was in Flauvic's arms and their mouths were pressed together. Elestra realized what would happen if somebody just happened to walk in and she pulled away, breaking free of Flauvic's arms, but at the same time falling back onto the ground.

Flauvic met her eyes with his own and he understood, no questions asked. He helped her to her feet and escorted her away from the gym.

"Flauvic," said Elestra, "I think I should go to my room to wash up. Just so Mother and Father don't think anything happened."

He looked down at her, amused. "I would think it would be thrilling to see how your parents react to me escorting you in, you looking red and lively. I think I'll look smug." He walked with her, relating to her the many ways in which they could make their entrance. All of them sent the same message to her parents.

She made a face and slapped his arm. She knew she wouldn't hurt him, but it still made her feel a little better. "Let me rephrase that. We are going to my room so I can get cleaned up. And you aren't going to breathe a word to them about what happened back there." She thought for a second. "Well, we won't tell them anything until they can handle it. With an assassin running around, I don't think they'd take well to…_us_… doing what we did. Besides, it would raise rumors and gossip in the court." She groaned inwardly. "I can hear it now…"

Flauvic laughed and said to her, "Don't worry about the court. They're still too preoccupied with my friends." His laughter died. "Besides, what would be so bad if people knew about us?"

"Well," Elestra began, "First of all, there is no official 'us' right now. Secondly, it would be a scandal. They would think that you came back to seduce me and get the crown. Third, I'm a Princess. What do you think they would think if they heard you and I, well, _kissed_? A Princess is supposed to be the epitome of etiquette. It wouldn't be proper."

He mused over this silently. "So that's what it comes down to… what is _proper_."

Horrified, Elestra responded quickly, "No! That's not what I meant. I just thought that…well… I mean… Now is just not the time! How can I be running around with a man who kidnapped me two years ago at the same time an assassin is trying to kill me? It'll look like you have an accomplice working with you to try to get me in the right spot to kill me." Elestra made this up as she went, trying to hide how flustered she was.

Flauvic stopped and tilted her chin up so that she would look at him. "Is that what you think? That I couldn't kill you myself, so I brought in an accomplice?"

"No!" Elestra couldn't take it. "I don't think so. For some weird reason, I trust you. At this moment, I trust you above everybody, except for my family. I trust you and my family equally. But now is not the right time to get into a deep relationship."

Flauvic paused and then said, shortly, "Very well." They did not speak another word up to Elestra's room. She took her clothes into the bathroom with her while she washed and changed. She emerged, clean, to find Flauvic sitting at the table in her room, playing with the green glass orb centerpiece. Except, it wasn't an orb anymore. It was a glass vase, with a single glass rose coming from it.

"The orb didn't really suit your room," he said quietly, replacing the new sculpture in the exact center of the table. Elestra somehow knew that he wasn't angry with her. She had been forgiven for anything she had said earlier.

They walked out, in silent companionship, to find her mother.

**Hey, anybody who may be out there reading this. I realize that it took a long time to get this chapter out. What has it been, six, seven months? I'm sorry it took so long. I honestly don't know when I'm going to sit down and write another chapter. Hopefully soon. I hope you enjoyed it. Any constructive criticism is welcome.**


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